Interview with Qadeer Baloch, founder of the ‘Voice for Baloch Missing Persons’

At 72, Qadeer Baloch or “Mama” Baloch walks the talk. After covering 3,300 km from Quetta, a journey that began on October 27, 2013, he and his fellow marchers reached Islamabad on February 28, with a long stop in Karachi. Walking the last part of his journey to Islamabad, Mr. Baloch told Meena Menon that his greatest wish was to visit India. Two years ago, when a United Nations team visited Quetta, he demanded an audience with them. He was invited to Islamabad as a result and decided to walk there. This was how the idea of this Long March was born. Mr. Qadeer’s son, Jalil was picked up by security agencies in Quetta in 2009 and his body was found three years later on the border with Iran. That decided things for him. He founded the “Voice for Baloch Missing Persons” in 2009. He has campaigned against extra judicial killings and illegal detentions and filed two cases in the Supreme Court, but to no avail. This march to the capital is his last stand for justice from a world body since he has no faith in the government. Excerpts from an interview:

Why did you decide to have a Long March to Islamabad? And what do you hope to achieve?

When I founded the “Voice for Baloch Missing Persons” in 2009, a lot of young men and women had already gone missing. I felt that unless there is a platform for the families, no one would pay any attention to them. All the members of this organisation are related to the missing persons. The case for missing persons began in 1947 when Balochistan was forced to join Pakistan after it was freed from the Kalat state. Since then, we have been fighting the state and this brutal repression is the state response to our struggle. I used to work in a bank and I retired in 2009. My son, Jalil Reki was picked up because he was the Baloch Republican Party (BRP)’s central information secretary. I know it’s the intelligence agencies who did this because they called and told someone who was with him at that time. Three years later we found his body. Today, my grandson is marching with me because he also wants justice. So far, we have documented 19,200 missing people and recovered 2,006 bodies. The numbers increase every day.

How did you mobilise resources for your organisation and what has been the response?

People are calling me a RAW [Research & Analysis Wing] agent and they think I get money from some agency. I don’t know this RAW and I have not seen or met anyone from there. I don’t need funds — there are over 19,000 missing people and their families contribute to the organisation and we also raise contributions.

You have filed cases in the Supreme Court? What is the progress so far?

Yes, we filed two cases on missing persons in 2012 and there have been 102 hearings so far. We had asked for the missing persons to be produced in court. We contended that if people have done something wrong you have to punish them, not take them away or detain them and kill them. The situation in these detention centres is terrible. People cannot even stretch their legs, the rooms are tiny and they are blindfolded. In some of the bodies we recovered, we found holes drilled in the legs. We get a lot of bodies with the vital organs removed.

There are women too who are missing.

Yes, there are women from the Marri and Bugti tribes who are missing. Women are taken away by agencies so that pressure can be put on their families to make sure their sons don’t join the various Baloch groups. We have documented cases of 170 women. Sometimes their children too are taken away. There is the case of Zarina, a schoolteacher, who was picked up in 2005 and her son, Murad was a year old then. How can a child survive without the mother?

Why is there no accountability for all these actions despite the Supreme Court case?

It is the Pakistan state agencies which are doing all this. Balochistan was independent and we were forced to join Pakistan. Now, we want freedom from the Army. We waited for five years for justice but nothing happened. The United Nations working group had come to Quetta two years ago and later we were invited to meet them in Islamabad. We met the United Nations country office and the European Union delegation to Pakistan and we have two demands. We want the missing persons to be recovered and we want a separate Balochistan. We want the intervention of NATO forces or international support there to help us. There is no other way out.

The Supreme Court has managed to do one thing only. That is to establish that it is the ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence], the Frontier Corps and the military intelligence which have picked up our young men and women. There are so many orders to produce the missing persons but no one does anything. The security forces defy the orders and it is no use. For instance in the case of one of the marchers, Farzana, the court had ordered her brother to be produced in court but it was not followed. There are so many cases like this. There is no accountability at all.

Who inspired you to go on this march?

I had read somewhere that Mahatma Gandhiji had walked over 300 km to fight the British and they conceded to his demands. I thought if an old man like him could walk, so could I. Even Mao Tse-tung had a long march. The important thing was that Gandhiji made an impression on the British rulers. We hope that our demands too will be met after this long march which is over 3,300 kilometres. We walked for 108 days.

After I formed my organisation, I got a lot of support from people. If there is a referendum in Balochistan, people will vote for independence. We have worked with honesty and integrity. All along the way, except in the Punjab, lakhs of people supported us.

How did you mobilise young women to walk with you?

In Balochistan we observe strict purdah. Women don’t leave their homes but now people are so helpless, they have taken to the streets.

The young women with me have either lost a father or a brother. Their lives are miserable, some have left school for this march. They still hope their loved ones will be returned some day. This is our plight. There are nine girls and three children including my grandson on this march.

You faced a lot of threats and abuse during the march.

Yes, people used to stop our march, get out of the car and abuse us. There was firing on us from moving vehicles and a truck dashed against two marchers injuring them. I was also threatened on the phone to stop the march. Even in Islamabad we are not safe. Even before I was leaving I got calls every day asking me to stop the march. An intelligence official threatened me that my other son would also be killed. For me the grief of my dead son is the grief of all the families who have lost people. In Punjab, we were openly threatened. In Gujarat, police blocked our march but we persisted despite all these problems and poor physical health.

In Balochistan, the young people continue to be picked up. Recently about 32 deaths have been reported and over 30 were taken away. It doesn’t stop.

It is ironical that while Dandi march got wide publicity, a march 10 times longer, is being ignored by the world media. The US is prepared to raise dead issue of atrocities against the Tamil Tigers in the UN Human Rights forum, but ignores the Baloch issue. Perhaps, chance, luck or destiny all have a part to play for the time to come for Baluchistan to fulfil its desire.

from:
S.Ganesh

Posted on: Mar 12, 2014 at 11:41 IST

It is sad part of indian partition history .... When nation was divided the majority hindi speaking politicians ...both hindus n muslim divided the country to keep their supremacy ...the people from Punjab And Bengal who sacrificed the most were divided and were make minorities so that they cannot voice their influence of the national politics .. To achieve this they did everything ... assam n Northeast was luck (?) that their leaders stood the test of time and opposed grouping of these entire region with Bangladesh ( then Pakistan ) ...but Balochistan was not .. They left them with the butchers - the modern day Pakistan....india should order a plebiscite in Kashmir and this part should be given over to them if they desire so ( my feeling is majority will vote for Pakistan) ... The two nation is a single country and people should be allowed to be with the group which they want to ... So also Baluchistan ..n Tribals of Chittagong hill tract who were forced to become bengalis ..

from:
John Dhekial

Posted on: Mar 11, 2014 at 20:16 IST

@Krishna;

"Allow any Indian who wants to settle down in Kashmir valley to do so.
(Democratic equality, if you please)."

How would you like to allow every Chinese to settle down in Kashmir and then hold the referendum? Remember China has a claim on all of Indian Kashmir.

from:
Tipu Qaimkhani

Posted on: Mar 11, 2014 at 07:43 IST

Just as Pakistan claims to 'represent' Muslim Kashmiri rights, so India should beat the drum for Balochistan. Pakistan is trying to exterminate any freedom voice in Balochistan, India needs to highlight the plight of the Balochis with a 'Free Balochistan Day' celebration and commemoration.

from:
Vida

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 23:05 IST

Ahmad,

As a citizen of democratic India, i am willing for a referendum in Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh provided the following criteria are met.
1. Repeal Article 370.
2. Resettle Kashmiri Pandits and others who were alienated by violence.
3. Allow any Indian who wants to settle down in Kashmir valley to do so.
(Democratic equality, if you please).

Then conduct the said referendum.

from:
Krishna

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 19:00 IST

"If there is a referendum in Kashmir, majority will vote for independence." - Where did you get that idea? Are you a mind reader?

If there is a referendum in Balochistan, majority will vote for independence. Does the so-called democratic Pakistan have the spine to organize one?

Ahmadiyas and Shias are as much Muslims as Sunnis are. Does the so-
called democratic Pakistan have the spine to arrest anyone who says otherwise?

Pakistani governor Salman Taseer was killed by his own bodyguard Qadri who proudly accepted responsibility and said he would do it again to "protect Islam". This was an act of war against the state of Pakistan. Yet in that case it was the judge who sentenced the killer to death who was forced to flee Pakistan while the killer lives a life of luxury and adulation. Asia Bibi is languishing in jail for a non-crime and successive Pakistani governments have failed to work out a solution. And it is India which is spineless?

from:
Aritra Gupta

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 18:58 IST

Kashmiri separatists have to learn a lesson or two from the Pakistani repression but they may not. Truth is today, Kashmir with all its problems is far less violent as compared to Balochistan. It is natural for communities with distinct cultures (living in any country) to aspire for independence and freedom to deal with their lives. This is particularly true if a majority of people feel that some that âoutsidersâ are trying to take control of their lives. My query is this: how many ethnic communities, big or small, can hope to remain independent of outside influences and how many of them would be able to remain free to decide their destinies, in this highly interdependent world? My fear is that if the state machinery is regressive, as in Pakistan, and if there are political uncertainties and instability in the neighbouring country, as in Afghanistan, region like Balochistan which desires to be free, would possibly be involved in endless violence, civil warfare and unrest.

from:
Narendra M Apte

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 18:14 IST

If there is a referendum in Kashmir, majority will vote for independence. Does the so called democratic India have the spine to do that??

from:
Ahmad

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 16:20 IST

The Baluch have been persecuted both by the pakistani state and some of their own sardars who have sold out to the pakistani state. Torture and extra judicial killings by the pakistani state agencies are rampant which invites retaliation by the baluch insurgents/ freedom fighters.
The problem is the unfortunate creation of pakistan which has created immense regional problems as pakistan's venal military led elite has sought to survive/thrive as a vassal state. pakistan also has the overall problem of islamic terrorism to contend with and it is obvious that the state is too weak to deal with a Taliban (TTP) threatened terror campaign. Pakistan's future is bleak and its survival is not guaranteed. That is the bigger problem.

from:
Sohail Zahid

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 14:10 IST

Good. Even If there is a referendum in Tamil Ealam, people will vote for independence. This is all because of the ill treatment by their respective nation and their national parties. Unless citizens are properly treated as citizens such referendums and such independence movements will keep gaining support and that directly or indirectly would feed the armed struggle.

from:
PSMAYO

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 11:57 IST

I read an authentic book on Pakistan. The late Khan Abdul Gafar Khan had accused Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru of deceiving him over the issue of Balochistan. He was sad saying that though an independant state was promised at the time of partition both these leaders ditsched him

from:
arvind chitale

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 10:24 IST

it is not a new movement.It started when the paksitan came to its existance.The fedration of balochistan state under khan of kalat were existed.due to personal friend ship of khan with mohammed ali jinnah khan were very much influence by him and did promise that he will do ground engineering to merge the fedration with pakistan.but the army intervain the egotiation by action and attack lasbela state arrest jam saheb and punished to hang.than attack made on riasat kalat,,and arrest khan.Mir abdul karim stated resistant and left on hill to liber against army but he was trapped by showing holly quran and nade him ready for negitiation as he became ready and came down he was arrested and put him in hyderabad sind prison.his son was killed before him..When baba bhuto came into power and balochistan was given provincial status under the constitution of pakistan baba bezenjo became governor and attaullah mengal as cheif minister but they were toppled and put behind bar.

from:
sultanasani

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 09:09 IST

" The Hindu " unwittingly shows its partiality , what else one can expect from the Great Ram ! While publicity is given to Baloch , it is not wrong on at least one count . In the same way if referendum is conducted in J & K , Lanka's North & East where Tamils are leading a pitiable life . in North - Eastern states of India etc???. Indira Gandhi was instrumental in dividing Pakistan creating another terror center Bangladesh . It was absolutely wrong to have acted against Pakistan's interests . What India gained through this bloody division of Pakistan . At least Indira could have settled Kashmir problem in exchange of 90,000 Pakistan Soldiers POWs . Nothing tangible was achieved by India by this partition of Pakistan . Rather it fuelled Pak Army and their determination to take revenge against India ,the result the undeclared war in which thousands of Indians , Soldiers died by terrorism , not a single Hindu Festival was being celebrated without terror threat. Don't publish such news

from:
Prof R Krishnamurthy

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 08:50 IST

Military occupation, encounter killings, missing persons, spy networks and torture chambers. How rancidly familiar is the brutality of the state in South Asia!

from:
Haroon

Posted on: Mar 10, 2014 at 08:08 IST

I wonder where is Arundhati Roy?Why did the modern day Dandi march byMama Qadir go unreported in otherwise noisy Indian media?